On the eve of his 16th birthday, Greyson McCluskey from Indian Trail, North Carolina was named the national winner of Wouldn’t It Be Cool If…, a campaign jointly presented by Time Warner Cable’s philanthropic science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) initiative, Connect a Million Minds, and i.am FIRST, founded by artist, entertainer and entrepreneur will.i.am. Greyson, an honor student and aspiring architect, developed his Baby Safe Rider – a mechanism for toddler car seats that would detect the onset of heightened temperatures in babies – as a way to address the rising incidents of vehicular hyperthermia fatalities in the U.S
As the national winner, Greyson will collaborate with Fahrenheit 212, an innovation consulting firm that works with global companies and brands to develop and bring to market industry changing ideas. The Fahrenheit 212 team will work with Greyson over the next four months to refine his cool idea, develop a business model and strategy, and explore how to bring the Baby Safe Rider to market. Ultimately, Greyson will have the opportunity to present his idea to prospective investors.
The additional three finalists and their ideas included:
- Kayla Benson (12) from Topeka, Kansas – The i-Stand, an electronic music stand that has your sheet music loaded on a screen with apps that include a tuner, metronome, and recorder.
- Hannah Yusoff (15) and Hon Kwok (15) from Westlake, Ohio – Bone Analyzer Kit, a digital device that can detect body injuries through blood samples.
- Emmie Lopez (12), Eileen Figueroa (12) and Jaime Brens (12) from Bronx, New York – A to Zinc Coffee, a filter that adds vitamins and nutrients to your coffee.
